This popular attraction in Sydney is the proximity of whales and dolphins as they visit the shoreline enroute to their migration. Many of them even decide to stay for a long time at the shoreline and that provides enough opportunity to visitors to have a close look at them. The thrill of looking at a giant whale frolicking in the waters in the wild or being very close to dolphins is not something that you can get to see in many cities and when you are in Sydney, you must not miss this opportunity.
For animal and nature lovers, this experience is a great one and for those not so inclined, there are other attractions by the many beaches that they can engage in by participating in water sports or just soaking in the sun by lying down on the beach.

The reason you can sight so many whales is due to the migration to the much warmer waters provided by the Great Barrier Reef in the period May to July and they then make their way back to the Antarctic by the month of November. The Sydney whale festival is one other way of sighting these magnificent mammals and this event is held every year at the Darling Harbour.
If you are wondering as to how both whales and dolphins can be seen together, the answer is that they are of the same biological family and can tolerate each other’s presence without any conflict.

The much friendlier bottle nosed dolphins are sighted close to the shore and are therefore not dangerous at all, whereas the more vicious killer whales, sperm whales as well as the minke whales can be seen in much deeper waters. There are regular whale expedition trips organised by the authorities and all you need to do is get into one of them. You would get to know a lot about these animals from the expert guides who would accompany the group on such trips and that will make the trip more enjoyable and informative.

The human connection with these mammals is something you would get to appreciate as you watch them from close quarters and besides the Sydney Harbour, the other places where such trips are organised are at the Darling Harbour as well as at the Circular Quay. You can also engage the use of sail boats or yachts to look at these whales at Darling.

Luna Park Sydney

Website: http://www.lunaparksydney.com/

Opening times:

Monday & Thursday: 11am-6pm
Tuesday & Wednesday: Rides not operating
Friday: 11am-11pm
Saturday: 10am-11pm
Sunday – 10am-6pm

When in Sydney do not miss out the historical fun and amusement Luna Park. Luna Park is the superbly restored 1930’s amusement park and is a hot favorite with tourist and locals even now. It is in a way an icon of Sydney.

It is impossible to miss because of the huge smiling face entrance, the Luna Park is open throughout the year, and during school holidays it operates 7 days a week.

You can see the spectacular Sydney Harbor and the opera house from there and enjoy the breathtaking, thrilling rides. The entry is free to the park. Apart from the usual tickets for rides, one can buy the annual or the unlimited pass for the whole day.

The park has a 1930 feel to it. Children and adults both love the rides some of which are truly vintage like the Rotor, the Dodgem cars and some of the old fashioned games like Laughin Clown and Goin fishing. The giant slides at Coney Island are fun and the view of the Sydney Harbour from the Ferris wheel is spectacular.

Luna Park is a complete carnival for children as well as adults. One can have parties and weddings in the stunning venues the park offers including stylish The Crystal Palace. Adjacent to Luna Park is the harbor-side bar, The Deck, and the live music venue Sonar Sydney apart from other attractions. The whole place offers majestic views of the Harbor Bridge and surrounding area.

In Coney Island, the only surviving example of the olden fun-houses, and one can have fun on some fabulous rides at a reasonable price. The fun rides include the Turkey Trot, Wonkey Walk, the Joy Wheel and the Barrel o’ Fun.

Feeling hungry after all the excitement? The park offers numerous cafes, ice cream parlors and restaurants. Lavazza Piazza or some of the Park’s licensed bars can quench your thirst with absolute delights, so if thirsty, go head and enjoy your drinks there. You can also get some typically carnival food like candy floss, popcorn and peanuts.

The Luna Park Merchandise Shop offers goodies that you can take home. They make popular gifts and also mementos to keep as a remembrance.

The amusement park is easily accessible by train, bus and you can also catch the Milsons Point Ferry from Circular Quay or Darling Harbor.

131 500 is the number to call to check the time tables for the buses or simply go to http://www.131500.info/realtime/default.asp. A car parking for almost 400 cars is available at the park.

So for all the fun, excitement, entertainment and food visit the famous historical Luna Park and have a wild time with your family and friends. Indulge your inner child, play games, listen to live music or just relax and enjoy the view.

The wonderful thing about this park is that it is huge and even on the busiest of days, one can find a secluded spot where you can sit down relax and read a book or take a nap in the open air.

The park has many ponds, statues and flower beds. These make the park a very pretty place to while away a sunny clear day.

If you would like to ride, the Centennial Parklands Equestrian Centre (CPEC) can give rides around the park and also riding lessons. Its equestrian facilities are excellent and they even have an indoor arena.

Other features of this park are:

The Federation Pavilion

This is a historic feature. Australia’s independence was proclaimed from this pavilion in January 1901. The pavilion was renovated for the centenary celebrations recently

The Grand Drive

Sydneysiders are outdoor people. Every open air beach or park has a sports feature. The Grand Drive is one such feature. It circles the park and is 3.8 km in length. This is used for the Sydney Marathon race. It was also used for the races in the Sydney Olympics 2000.

McKay Oval

It was originally a swamp that was drained out and cleaned up. It is now used by Sydney Boys High School as a playground. Cricket, Rugby and Soccer is played in this ground.

Centennial Park is generally considered safe, and park rangers patrol it all the time. However, there is no protection against careless behavior so it is recommended that you take care of your own belongings and exercise caution.

It is a busy park, so getting a parking space for your car can be difficult unless you drive there early in the day. You could of course leave your car at home and go by bus.

Another special feature of this park is that once in a month, cars are prohibited. They have a “Car Free Sunday” which is a great thing.

The Centennial Park has suburbs where there are very expensive looking houses. This suburb was developed by the sale of land next to the park and the money was used to develop the park. Due to stringent building clauses, no low quality buildings were allowed. As a result the suburb has very posh looking houses and the residential area is plush.